


Woven Memories

by youbuggme



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Hopeful Ending, Love Confessions, M/M, Post-Recall, Pre-Fall of Overwatch, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, basically this is all based on sweater:76
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-29
Updated: 2019-12-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:08:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22019155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/youbuggme/pseuds/youbuggme
Summary: Nothing shows someone you care more than making something specifically for them.
Relationships: Reaper | Gabriel Reyes/Soldier: 76 | Jack Morrison
Comments: 12
Kudos: 67





	Woven Memories

**Author's Note:**

> I am nothing if not a liar when I said I wouldn't be using this account anymore ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
> Any-who, first Overwatch fic (that I've actually finished). Might see more from me, might not. Hope you enjoy either way :)
> 
> Also special thanks to Ani for giving this a look over and motivating me to finish something for once. Love you.

Jack had been one of the only recruits to use the gym on their day off. Whenever they got injections, the day after was usually scheduled off for additional testing or recovery periods. Most of the recruits took that time to relax but Jack had too much energy to sit still. 

With the sudden snow storm raging outside, all recruits were sequestered inside, meaning Jack’s beloved track had been off-limits. As a result, he had hogged the corner treadmill since lunch, needing to burn off the energy that had been thrumming through his veins since his last injection. It could be worse; he could have Coleman’s body aches or Pena’s drowsiness or Reyes’ migraines. As far as Jack was concerned, he had come out of the experience lucky so far. Time would tell if his luck would hold out.

But as much as his body needed to burn the energy, there was only so much boredom his mind would take from staring at the same aged health advisory poster hanging on the wall while running in place. Usually one of his other buddies would be occupying the gym with him, but today it was just him and Levy in compatible, but boring, silence. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t nearly as entertaining when Reyes wasn’t around to trade snide comments with.

After three hours, he decided to call it quits, taking a quick detour to hit the showers before making the slow walk back to his dorm, silently hoping his roommate had fucked off for the afternoon so he could have the room alone. Diaz was a nice guy, but about as dull as ditchwater. When Jack swung open the door, while he saw no sight of his roommate, he found himself not entirely alone.

“What are you doing here?” 

Perched on Jack’s bed on the bottom bunk, back against the concrete wall it was pushed up against, was Gabriel Reyes, not exactly an uncommon sight in Jack’s room, but usually only when Jack himself were present.

“Hiding out,” Gabriel replied, voice uninterested and distracted, barely even acknowledging Jack. In his hands were two plastic rods attached to a large ball of sunflower yellow yarn tucked to his side. Resting in his lap was a length of knitted scarf about a foot long. “Your roommate and my roommate have decided to lock themselves away in my room so, here I am. Thank Diaz whenever his ass crawls back here.”

Distantly, Jack registered Gabriel’s statement. Their respective roommates had been knocking boots for the past month and a half, to the annoyance of both Jack and Gabriel. The only slightly silver lining to being locked out of their rooms at random hours was that it had forced Jack and Gabriel to spend more time together, which Jack was certainly not opposed to. Not at all. It took a little while for Gabriel to warm up to him but Jack was beginning to think he was breaking that wall around Gabriel, brick by brick. 

However, Jack’s current attention wasn’t so much at his not unwanted intruder but rather the smooth and repetitive motion of his hands. 

“You knit?”

Gabriel’s eyes flashed up to meet Jack’s, his gaze hard and challenging. “And?”

It hadn’t been the first time Jack had met the signature steely Gabriel Reyes gaze whenever Jack asked Gabriel about certain things. He had gotten the same look when Jack had asked about the music he had been listening to while working out or when Jack examined the photos tapped to the ceiling above Gabriel’s bed or when Jack had asked if Gabriel had someone special waiting for him back home. They were innocent, curious questions, but Gabriel always took them as possible threats, baring his teeth and ready to snap if Jack so much as moved the wrong way. To most, personal questions about Gabriel were off limited, but Jack found he could wiggle a handful of answers out of Gabriel, if nothing else than by pure determination only.

Jack initially thought it was shyness or insecurities but in the months they had started to grow closer, Jack knew there was nothing shy or insecure about Gabriel Reyes. He just had a very low tolerance for anyone looking down on him for any reason. Gabriel wanted to prove himself based on his skill alone; all personal matters were just that: personal. Gabriel had come to the program with the not-so-subtle goal of making no personal ties. Jack would like to think he was beginning to become an exception to that rule, though it certainly hadn’t been easy.

“Nothing,” Jack shrugged off casually, falling onto his bed beside Gabriel. “Just didn’t know you did. Looks hard.”

The tension loosened in Gabriel’s shoulders but he didn’t let it down completely. “Takes practice.”

“How long have you been knitting?” Gabriel still hadn’t resumed his pace, still wondering where Jack was going with this. Jack could see the skepticism in Gabriel’s eyes.

“Few years.” 

The answers were short and clipped. Gabriel never bothered hiding from the truth, but he certainly didn’t offer information willingly unless it was earned. Jack was hoping one day they could get to that place, where they could share things about themselves freely. As far as he knew, there was no one on base Gabriel trusted more. Jack hoped he could remain in that highly esteemed spot.

“Your parents teach you?”

“My mother.”

Jack delicately picked up the ball of yarn and examined the fibers beneath his fingers. It was wool, coarse and a bit itchy. The sunflower yellow brighter than anything Jack had seen Gabriel wear.

“My ma knits too,” Jack offered conversationally, hoping it would ease his friend. “She never taught me. Then again, I was always too busy helping out with the farm. On rainy days she’d sometimes have me spin the balls of yarn for her, but that’s about it.”

Slowly but surely, Gabriel’s hands began to move again. It wasn’t the carefree, mindless knitting Jack had walked in on. The pace was measured, cautious, ready to stop all together should the tide of conversation change. 

“My mama taught me the summer I broke my leg and I was stuck on the couch for two months. It was something to do that wasn’t talking her ear off. Even when my leg healed, I still hung onto it.” Gabriel glanced up at Jack, searching his face as he added, “It’s relaxing. Calms me down. Helps me think.”

“That’s cool.” Jack gently placed the ball of yarn back in the space between them. He could feel the fragile trust that had been established, another brick taken out of the wall. It was a small window, but Jack hoped it would grow larger with time. “Who is it for?”

“Why do you think it’s for someone?”

Gabriel’s hands were moving back at the fluid motions, Gabriel’s shoulders lowered and calm. Jack wanted to think the wall between them was growing weaker, smaller.

“Can’t say I see yellow as your color. Not that I don’t think you’d look hot with a yellow scarf.” Heat brushed against his cheeks and Jack ducked his head. _ Well, shit, he hadn’t really meant it like that.  _ “But, uh, I what I mean-“

Gabriel let out a low chuckle, music to Jack’s burning ears. “Easy, Morrison, it’s for my sister. For Christmas.”

“Oh,” Jack murmured, turning onto his side to press his burning cheek into the cool sheets of his bed. “The older one or the younger one?”

Gabriel had told Jack a little bit about his sisters when Jack had been looking through the photos, sweet girls still in school. It was clear Gabriel dotted on them, holding a soft place in his heart specifically for them. Jack was also pretty sure he hadn’t heard Gabriel mention them to anyone but himself.

“Older. I’m knitting green mittens for the younger.”

Jack grinned. “That’s nice. What are you making me for Christmas?”

Gabriel, without looking up from his work, raised an eyebrow. “What makes you think I’m knitting you shit, Wonderbread.”

Jack turned over until he was laying on his back, throwing his hand across his chest in mock offense. “And here I thought we were best friends.”

Gabriel chuckled, nudging his knee against Jack’s hip. “I only knit for family.”

“Come on, Reyes, I’m  _ basically  _ family.”

Gabriel spared him one glance before rolling his eyes and returned to his work without bothering to respond.

Jack puffed his chest out and crossed his arms. “Looks like I’ll have to marry in then.”

“Say a word about my sisters and I’m shoving my foot right up your ass.”

Jack grinned. This was the Gabriel he knew. The closest person here Jack had to a best friend; really the only person Jack had in a long time. Someone he could joke around with, someone he could swap stories with, someone he trusted, even if that trust wasn’t fully returned.  _ Yet. _

“Oh god, wouldn’t dream of it.” Jack waited a moment for Gabriel to get back into the repetitive motion before adding, “I was thinking about your mother.”

Jack had already rolled off the bed and made a run for the door before Gabriel could lay a hand on him. Jack sprinted down the hall, laughing as he heard Gabriel’s heavy boots and a threatening string of cursing Spanish follow.

It wasn’t until later, after some playful wrestling, that they returned to Jack’s room and Gabriel showed him how to knit: Jack laying beside Gabriel, just watching his hands move and create. It was beautiful the way his hands moved. They were primed and trained for destruction and death and yet Gabriel created beautiful patterns out of nothing but a length of yarn. With the yellow thread, it was like he was spinning gold. 

Jack wondered if one day Gabriel would consider Jack close enough to make something for him. Or maybe, Jack could one day make something for him. They could make something for each other. His face felt warm at the thought, his heart fluttering light as air in his chest.

One could dream.

* * *

The cold wind nipped at Jack’s cheeks as he stood out on the sidewalk, waiting for Ana to return. The two of them had decided to take a short walk around town while the rest of the Strike-Team relaxed at the hotel. She had popped into a sweets store down the road to find something for Fareeha while Jack decided to keep window shopping outside. He hadn’t expected to find anything of interest until he ran into a tiny hole in the wall shop with a colorful window display. That’s where Ana found him, his face nearly pressed against the glass.

“Something catch your eye?”

Jack jumped at the sudden appearance of Ana at his shoulder, spinning around and putting his hand over his heart.

“You scared the shit out of me.”

Ana shook her head, tutting under her breath. “You need to be a bit more aware. Anything could happen.”

“Right, sorry.” Jack swallowed and nodded his head, never mind the fact they were in a sweet little German town square miles away from the next firefight. Both of them knew better than to let their guard down even in the more seemingly peaceful of places.

Ana waved him off, peering through the shop window Jack had been so absorbed with. “I wasn’t aware you were into crafting.”

Heat crawled up the back of Jack’s next and he pulled at the collar of his jacket. “Oh, well, uh, I’m not really but, well…” Jack let the sentence fade away.

“A gift for someone then?” Ana persisted, eyes flitting back to Jack, a small smile coming to her face. “Someone we know?”

Jack tore his gaze away from her and the window, looking at the cobblestone sidewalk instead.

“I didn’t say that.”

“Are you sure?” Ana pressed, her voice light and knowing. “I thought I remember a certain someone mentioning a knitting hobby not too long ago…” Jack didn’t have to look to know the sniper was grinning at him. “Are you looking to get Commander Reyes a gift?”

Jack face burned and he knew it gave himself away more than anything else. Getting Gabriel a gift wouldn’t have seemed out of the ordinary, the whole Strike Team knew the two of them were inseparable...it’s just there was no holiday or reason to do it. Somehow, it was a lot harder to conceal feelings with a gift out of the blue.

“He’s been stressed lately,” Jack murmured, voice lower and softer than he meant. “Knitting relaxes him so...I thought maybe- his last project had been left behind to Rome so I thought...ugh, nevermind this is stupid.”

Before Jack could so much as step away, Ana grabbed the sleeve off his jacket and anchored him in place.

“I think that’s a lovely idea, Jack.” There was no teasing in her tone and when Jack turned to face her, her eyes were soft and kind. “Let’s go pick something.”

Jack was gently pulled into the shop by his jacket, Ana weaving them through the isles until they found the towering shelf of yarn with a small basket of different sized needles.

“What color yarn were you thinking?” Ana asked as she surveyed the stock, toying with the loose string of a bright purple skein.

“I’m not sure,” Jack murmured, though his eyes fell on a bright crimson bundle, the material soft and silky looking. 

Ana followed his eyes and smiled. She grabbed the yarn bundle without a word, tucking it under her arm. “Is one enough?”

“I guess it depends on the project,” Jack shrugged a bit unsure. “I think it should be fine?”

Ana nodded, already sorting through the array of needles to find the right size.

Jack’s eyes continued to scan the yarn samples, his fingers brushing against them to test of the softness. He stopped at a thick black yarn, the material sturdy and heavy duty.

“Why don’t you try making something?” Ana asked, appearing beside his shoulder, looking down at the sample of yarn he stopped at.

“Oh, well, I-“

Before the rest of the excuse could leave Jack’s mouth, Ana continued, “Nothing shows someone you care more than making something specifically for them.” 

Grabbing the skein of the black thick yarn, she set it in Jack’s hands and winked. “Think about it. I don’t know much about knitting, but I’ve crocheted before and I wouldn’t mind teaching you how.”

With that, Ana disappeared down the aisle, red yarn and needles in hand.

Jack gazed down at the black skein of yarn in his hand. In his mind, he was already picturing the finished product, a perfect wool beanie to replace that worn and battered one currently on top of a certain Commander’s head. Jack squeezed the yarn in his hands, swallowed the lump in his throat. 

A few minutes later, he found Ana looking at the painting supplies. Jack saddled up to her, black yarn and matching sized crochet hook in hand.

“You ever crocheted a hat before?”

Ana looked over at him and beamed.

* * *

It wasn’t necessarily that crochet was difficult, more that Jack didn’t have the attention span for it. One minute he’d be counting his double crochets and the next he’d realized he’d lost count or swapped back to single crochets. It was truly a challenge in single-minded focus that Jack was quickly realizing he had not mastered nearly as well as he thought he had.

Ana was blessedly patient with him and the yarn was wonderfully forgiving, having to be crocheted and unwound and recrocheted too many times. The only benefit was that there was no way anyone could say Jack half-assed it. He poured enough time and energy into this craft, holing up alone with Ana to work on his secret project while she guided him through each stitch. 

It only made Jack that much more impressed with Gabriel’s ability to hold full on conversations while knitting masterpieces. Jack knew a grand total of two types of crochet and even then he was struggling; Gabriel made pieces so complex that if Jack didn’t know better, he’d be certain they were made by machines instead of human hands. 

Gabriel had loved the gifted red yarn and needles, pulling Jack into a tight hug and breathing a sigh of relief. 

_ Just need to let my mind rest for five minutes. You don’t know how much this means to me. _

Jack had been light and giddy after that, emboldened to start his own craft, wondering what kind of reaction he’d get when he gifted his piece to Gabriel. 

While it had initially started as a secret between just Ana and Jack, it had slowly begun to spread to the other members of the Strike-Team.

Reinhardt had walked in on Ana and Jack sitting on the floor of her room reworking an entire row. The giant of a man had been so enamoured by Jack’s efforts that he promised to keep their project a secret and to help in anyway possible, which often resulted in Reinhardt sitting with them, happy to just tell stories while they worked. 

Torbjorn had accidentally sat on the blunted tip of the crochet hook Jack had misplaced in the transport plane. He had heard an earful from the Swedish engineer but by the next time they met, Torbjorn had forgotten about the entire thing.

When and where Gerard found out was a complete mystery, but the Frenchman had cornered Jack in the kitchens in the middle of the night going on about how the gift itself would be nothing without  _ “proper presentation” _ providing Jack a roll of elegant wrapping paper and a silken bow with fresh sprigs of baby’s breath pushed through the knot. Gerard had also gifted Jack a book of incomprehensible poetry, telling him to use it for inspiration. 

Needless to say with nearly everyone—but Gabriel himself—knowing about the gift, Jack had turned into a bundle of nerves as Christmas approached and the hat was in its final stages.

“Worry not, my friend,” Reinhardt exclaimed beside him, now a permanent guest in his and Ana’s crochet time. “He’ll love it!”

Ana smiled brightly beside the German, winding a scarf around his next to see if it was in fact long enough for him. “You can do it at the Christmas party. There will be alcohol. It’ll help settle your nerves.”

“There is no reason to be nervous!” Reinhardt continued, “Love is nothing to be fearful about!”

Jack’s face burned. It hadn’t taken much thinking for the rest of the Strike-Team to put two and two together after finding out about Jack’s secret project. He was just grateful they were all supportive, though sometimes a little  _ too _ supportive.

“I just want him to like it. That’s all.”

“He will,” Ana said determined. 

Jack nodded, eyes locked on the nearly finished hat in his hands. He hoped she was right.

* * *

Jack paced outside the Commander’s office, lumpy present in hand and mentally rallying himself up to knock on the door. Down the hall, Jack could still hear the drunken laughter and singing of Reinhardt, serenading the rest of the Strike-Team. 

Gabriel had been with them initially, laughing and singing along, but a phone call had dragged him away hours ago and he had yet to return. Jack had been waiting all day for the right opportunity to give Gabriel his Christmas present and somehow it was both equally worse and better to give it to him in private. He certainly wasn’t going to do it in front of the whole Strike-Team, not with them all knowing the true intentions behind it.

Stopping his pacing before he made a rut into the floorboards, Jack forced himself to give two short knocks to the door. Instantly, nerves and slight regret flooded his system. What if now was a bad time and he was interrupting something? What if Gabriel was busy dealing with a shit storm and didn’t have time to deal with Jack? What if Gabriel wanted to be alone and Jack was ruining that? What if he didn’t want Jack’s crummy Christmas gift? What if-

He wasn’t given a chance to think of anymore horrible scenarios as the door to the office swung open and Gabriel stood before him, tired eyes and and brightly lit comm still in his ear. Rested on Gabriel’s head was the Santa hat Gerard had insisted Gabriel wear when they first started the festivities. Either Gabriel had forgotten about wearing it or just didn’t care. Probably both. Gabriel waved him in and gestured to the single chair in the office as he paced past Jack. Jack could see Gabriel was keyed up, needed to move while he dealt with whatever this phone call was about.

Jack sat at the commander’s desk, present perched on his lap as he listened to Gabriel talk on the phone. From the half conversation, he gathered it was something about organizing supply requests. Really something that could have waited until  _ after  _ the holidays. Then again, war never waited. 

Turning his attention away from the phone call, Jack instead focused on the mess that was Gabriel’s desk. Mess wasn’t even really the word for it, perhaps overcrowded worked better. Paperwork stacks made up most of the space. An abandoned holoscreen in hibernate rested as an anchor on of the more imposing stacks. Tapped haphazardly to the wall beside the desk were the photos that had once been pasted above Gabriel’s bunk in SEP. 

A few more had joined the family since: a group picture of the Strike-Team, one of just Gabriel, Jack and Ana, and one of just Gabriel and Jack. The last one had been taken during their first and only leave during SEP. Gabriel had dragged Jack to Los Angeles to see the ocean and meet his family. It had been taken on the Reyes’ family’s porch, under the hanging lights and moonlight sky. They looked pedestrian there, almost normal. Like just friends who had met in college, or best friends from childhood.  _ Or maybe even like a couple meeting their boyfriend’s family for the first time.  _ Jack tore his eyes away from the photo at that thought, clammy hands wrapped around his lumpy gift protectively. 

Ten minutes passed before Gabriel was finally able to hang up on whatever general or diplomat decided to call on Christmas. Gabriel dropped the comm on the desk with a loud sigh, rubbing his eyes tiredly. It didn’t look like he was sleeping enough. Jack was worried.

“Hate all that bureaucratic shit,” Gabriel hissed out. “People seem to think we have nothing better to do than politicking when the world is on fire.”

“I’m sorry,” Jack murmured, standing up to offer the single chair to Gabriel. “If you want, I can go. Let you try and get a few moments of peace.”

“No, no, stay. Please.”

Jack couldn’t deny the giddy feeling that jumped in his chest.

Instead of taking the chair, Gabriel slid down to the floor behind his desk and patted the space next to him. As Jack joined him, he couldn’t help think it similar to two children hiding in a fort. In the dimly lit office, hiding behind the desk, Jack and Gabriel could pretend for a moment or two the fate of the world wasn’t resting on their shoulders. 

“Not sure I’m ready to go back out there and listen to Reinhardt butcher another Christmas song yet,” Gabriel admitted, leaning against Jack’s shoulder with a content sigh.

Jack smiled softly, leaning back against his friend, present tucked tightly against his chest. “That’s ok. I think they are all too drunk or too distracted to notice we are gone.”

Gabriel chuckled, his eyes fluttering shut. “And why are you here instead of getting drunk and distracted?”

Jack’s hands tightened around the present in his heads. “No reason. Well, I mean...nothing.”

_ Pitiful. Absolutely pitiful. Man up, Morrison. _

Gabriel, without even looking at him, could see through the bullshit clear as day. “Sure it doesn’t have anything to do with the thing in your hands?”

It was almost pathetic how nervous Jack was in this moment. He and Gabriel had gone through so much and here he was, acting as if this moment was the end all be all moment of their lives. Even if Gabriel wasn’t  _ thrilled _ with his gift, even if Gabriel didn’t return his affections, they were still friends. They were still  _ brothers _ .

Mustering up all his courage, Jack silently set the gift onto Gabriel’s lap, waiting for the other to open his eyes.

Instead of looking at the sloppily wrapped gift with the obnoxious bow—courtesy of Gerard—Gabriel’s eyes met Jack’s. “You didn’t really get me something, did you?”

Jack shrugged it off, though he could feel his face growing red. “It’s nothing.”

“Doesn’t feel like nothing,” Gabriel grinned as his hands gripped the package, assessing it without opening it just yet. “If it is socks, I’m throwing you out of my office. Friendship over.”

Jack said nothing, not even able to offer a replying laugh at Gabriel tore open the wrapping paper, sturdy black material peeking out.

Slowly and in measured movements, Gabriel removed the wrappings and held the gift in his hands: a slightly lopsided, black beanie. The design was simplistic and maybe a bit boring considering the things Jack had seen Gabriel produce over the years, but it was solid, in one piece and not the worst thing ever created. Jack held his breath as Gabriel assessed the work.

“Did you make this?” Gabriel asked incredulously, fingers dancing over the knots and stitches.

“Ana helped me,” Jack replied hesitantly. “It’s not great. I won’t be offended if you don’t wear it or anything but I...I just wanted to make you something.” Unable to look at Gabriel, Jack turned his gaze directly to his lap, fingers knotting themselves at the ends of his sweater.

For a few seconds, nothing was said. Jack was sure Gabriel was trying to formulate a nice way to tell Jack it was shit. But after a moment, Jack felt the light weight of something being set on his head. Whipping his head up, Jack turned to see Gabriel was no longer wearing the Santa hat, having swapped for the black beanie, snug and cozy on his head.

“Fits like a glove,” Gabriel whistled impressed, a small, softer grin coming to his face.

Jack, unable to keep his goddamn mouth shut, replied, “We used a cantaloupe for sizing.”

Immediately, the two burst out laughing, Gabriel shoving Jack’s shoulder playfully while muttered  _ “Asshole _ .” Jack couldn’t help but lean back in against Gabriel and was even more thrilled by the arm that landed across his shoulders and pulled him closer into a half-hug.

“So, you like it?”

“Shit, Jackie, of course I do. It's the nicest thing anyone has done for me in...well, probably years.”

Warmth flooded Jack chest. He felt lighter and happier than ever, anchored into reality by the pleasant weight of Gabriel pressed against his side. 

“I’m glad.” It was hard to focus on speaking as Gabriel’s fingers drifted up and down the length of his arm “It took me forever to figure out how that shit worked.”

“It came out great. Gonna wear this all the time.” 

Jack was sure he was a furnace against Gabriel. How could he not be when he felt so bright and warm? Forget confessing, forget his stupid feelings. This moment was everything and Jack didn’t want to ruin it.

“Merry Christmas, Gabe.”

“Hold on,” Gabriel muttered, tapping Jack on the nose. “Never gave you your gift.”

A new warmth trickled in Jack. “You didn’t have to-“

“Shut up, Cornbread.”

Opening one of the draws to his desk, Gabriel grabbed a bundle of red.

“Didn’t have time to wrap it, so apologies there.”

Dropping the bundle into Jack’s lap, he could immediately identify the fabric as the yarn he had given Gabriel earlier that year. Gently, Jack lifted it into his hands as if it were as delicate as glass. It was like a scarf except it just continued as a single loop. The stitches were raised ovals, almost resemble pinecones.

“It’s an infinity scarf,” Gabriel explained. “I don’t know if you remember, but a couple years ago you asked me when I was going to make you something and-“

“You said you only knitted for family.” Jack finished, heart in his throat and hands shaking around the soft silky material.

“I did,” Gabriel murmured, his voice growing softer and quieter. “I think you know me better than anyone else, Jack. We’re brothers. Of course, you are family.”

With equally gentle hands, Gabriel took the scarf from Jack and slowly began wrapping it around Jack’s neck, tucking it under his chin. When the process was finished, Gabriel’s hands remained on the scarf, his thumb brushing over where the edge of the scarf met the delicate skin of Jack’s jaw.

“Never thought red was your color, but it looks perfect on you.”

Jack was unable to look anywhere else but Gabriel’s eyes, inches from his own. They were sitting close, far closer than necessary but neither of them were moving. 

“I love it,” Jack whispered, barely louder than a breath. 

Jack’s hand came up to toy with the scarf, the top of his hand, brushing against the palm of Gabriel’s. Again, neither of them moved away.

This felt like a moment. Not just  _ a _ moment but  _ the _ moment, yet Jack found himself at a loss for words. He was more than content to remain sitting here, staring into each other’s eyes but that would only work for this moment. It wasn’t something that could continue to the next morning, or the following weeks and months they were going to work together. If Jack wanted to have more moments like this, he needed to  _ act _ . He needed to say the words that had been on his mind for years.

With a deep steadying breath, Jack began, “I’ve wanted you to make me something like this for years.”

Gabriel rose a single eyebrow but didn’t move away. “I remember you asking me more than a few times.”

Jack nodded as he organized the words in his head.

“It wasn’t really about  _ what  _ you made, but more that  _ you  _ were making it.” Upon see Gabriel’s confusion, Jack pushed through. “I mean, the fact that you were making something for me meant that you cared about me and trusted me.” Lowering his voice, Jack added, “You were always so difficult to reach, too many walls up around you and I wanted nothing more than to be immune to that. To be able to get past your walls and have you trust me, care about me. Now I know that you do.”

Gabriel brushed his fingers up along Jack’s jaw to his cheek to cup it in his warm palm.

“There is no one I trust more to have my back.”

Jack leaned into the touch. “I’m glad. You mean everything to me, Gabriel.” Letting his eyes close, Jack finally said the one thing he had been wanting to say all these years. “I’m pretty sure I’m in love with you.”

Jack was sure he was going to feel Gabriel back away, release his hold on Jack. He was more than ready to accept the cold chill of rejection. But Gabriel did not move back. Instead, Jack could feel him leaning closer, his breath brushing against Jack’s nose.

“Care to elaborate?”

Jack opened his eyes to see Gabriel gazing down at him, eyes guarded but not harsh. He could tell this was a fragile moment and Jack didn’t want to fuck it up by misspeaking. He was always more of a man of action than a man of words.

Wordlessly, Jack reached for Gabriel’s hand bracing him on the floor. Jack let his fingers lightly touch the top of his hand before settling there, waiting. Slowly, but surely, Gabriel turned his hand over for their palms to touch, their fingers immediately interlocking. The guarded look in Gabriel’s eyes lowered, a softer, more vulnerable light shining through them.

“Enough said,” Gabriel joked, so quiet it was barely there. “Me too.”

“Yeah?” 

Gabriel squeezed his hand reassuringly. The hand on his face caressed his cheek in a soothing manner. 

“You mean the world to me, Jack. I don’t know what I’d do without you. I can’t actually picture my life without you right by my side.” With a small chuckle, Gabriel admitted, “I’m pretty sure I’ve been gone on you since you managed to get brass to let us room together. Didn’t even mind that you snore like a dump truck.”

“That’s real romantic, Gabe,” Jack couldn’t help but snort. Any and all tension fell out of his bones as he rocked with laughter, leaning into Gabriel’s hand. “You really feel that way?”

“You think I just let anyone barge into my office like I let you? Or boss me around? I took you to meet my family after knowing you for six months. There were boyfriends I had for over a year that I’d never let them near my sisters. With you, I couldn’t wait for you to meet them, to see where I grew up. Shit, Jackie, I don’t think I would have left SEP as sane as I did without you.”

“I feel the same.” Jack was grinning. He couldn’t stop now. “Thought you were the most beautiful person I’d ever seen.”

Gabriel smirked, leaning close enough for their noses to brush. 

“Glad I got to meet your  _ oh-so-high standards. _ ”

“Asshole,” Jack teased back, no heat behind his words as he leaned closer, their lips not even an inch apart.

“Merry Christmas, Jack. Here’s to many, many more.”

Jack would look back on this moment—the two of them, sharing their first kiss behind Gabriel’s desk sitting on the floor of his office—and think how simple things were. How they thought it was the beginning of everything. How they didn’t think it could be possible for it to come crashing down on them. How sweetly and utterly naive it was for them to think this could last forever.

* * *

Soldier:76 stared at the neatly wrapped present resting on his bed. It was wrapped in a gaudy green paper with scattered red and white candy canes, topped off with a small red bow.

It hadn’t been there when Jack had left his room to grab a bite to eat, but here it was now. He’d only been gone an hour at the most. Whoever had given it to him must have snuck into his room.

_ Must be my Secret Santa _ , the old soldier thought as he approached the gift.

It had been the two scientists idea. Winston and Mei had both been eager to celebrate the holiday season and suggested the gift giving idea. The entire base had been all for it and everyone had been required to participate. Soldier: 76 had been lucky enough to get Jesse. The fancy bottle of whiskey had gone over well with the cowboy. Neither one of them had felt like making a big thing out of it.

He hadn’t known who his own Secret Santa was. The entire day had gone by without much of anything while the rest of the base moved with full merriment. As much as Jack Morrison used to be in the holiday spirits, Soldier: 76 didn’t have much of a taste for them. Not anymore. 

There was almost a hope that he’d not gotten a Secret Santa at all. It was an easy hope than thinking of all the people he’d rather it not be. Specifically one ex-Talon agent he had been very much avoiding. 

It had been five months since Reaper showed up on the newly formed Overwatch’s doorstep, flanked by a hacker and a sniper holding the entirety of Talon’s intel in the palm of his clawed hand. It had taken the whole base by surprised. Skepticism, years of distrust and too much death marred any immediate acceptance, but the three ex-Talon agents took what they were given, ready to take whatever punishment and vetting with necessary to prove their allegiance and loyalty. 

It had taken two months of heavy surveillance with medical and mental clearing by Dr. Zielger before the hacker known as Sombra had been cleared and approved. It took another month for Reaper to earn that same right. As it currently stood, Widowmaker was still going through a rigorous deconditioning process, though, from Jack had heard, progress had been made.

Soldier: 76 had made a rather pointed effort to stay away from the ex-Talon members. He avoided areas they occupied, request as many missions that took him off base as possible and all scheduled “team building” activities were skipped and missed. 

With the newly reformed Overwatch, Soldier: 76 had been distant and weary enough already. The new recruits were young and open-hearted. Where the old Overwatch had been a large and encompassing organization, the new one was more like an eclectic family: birthdays were celebrated, all major holidays observed with a party, weekly movie nights were organized by the youngest members and team meals were greatly enforced. Soldier: 76 had made a valiant effort to avoid these since joining the recall, but even he still fell into the familial atmosphere, whether by forced hands dragging him around the base or simply not wanting to hold more regrets than he already did. 

However, with Reaper present, Soldier: 76 had fallen back to his avoidance. Whenever he’d see a dark cloak or smell the acidic smoke, the old soldier spun on his heel and retreated. 

He wasn’t ready. He wasn’t sure he was ever going to be ready. There was a sea of forty years between them and Soldier: 76 wasn’t sure he could start  _ anew _ like Jesse suggested or rekindle their old friendship like Ana offered. Soldier: 76 wasn’t sure how much of Gabriel was inside Reaper, not when he wasn’t even sure how much of Jack Morrison was still left in himself.

As it stood, Jack couldn’t fathom them ever being able to rebuild even half of what they had. There was too much pain, too much distrust, too much  _ history _ for them to start over. He wouldn’t even know where to start. Soldier: 76 wasn’t the same naive farm boy who loved so openly, so freely. He was certain Reaper wasn’t anything close to the Gabriel he had fallen in love with all those years ago.

Soldier: 76 sighed, attempting to push Reaper and Gabriel from his mind. It would do his heart no good, not when he could barely be in the same room as him.

Grabbing the package, Soldier: 76 was surprised by how light it was. The package was soft and had give when Jack moved it around in his hands. 

There was no card or label on it and Soldier: 76 figured his Secret Santa wanted to remain just that, a secret.

Sitting heavily on his bed, Jack slowly began to unwrap the gift, finding the tapped edged and pulling them apart. 

The first thing he noticed was the softness, as the paper tore away and his fingers brushed against soft fabric. Jack’s heart seized up at the touch but he pushed aside the rest of the paper to see what it was.

It was a sweater. Green, red and white patterns delicately knitted with finely detailed Christmas trees across the torso and snowflakes up and down the arms. Jack’s eyes raked over the detail, not a knot or stitch out of place, all knitted lines even and congruent. The craftsmanship was impeccable. Jack already had an inkling but he still searched the collar to find a tag. Upon finding none, his suspicions were confirmed and he felt his stomach drop. There was no doubt in his mind this was from a certain masked mercenary. 

_ I only knit for family. _

It had been so many years since he had heard Gabriel say those words and yet the memory felt like it was yesterday and they were dumbass twenty something year olds trying to save the world.

Jack’s hands trembled beneath the sweater as he bunched it up in his fists. It would have been easier if Reaper had given him something simple and purchased. He’d know how to handle that. This, though? His mind couldn’t even process Gabriel  _ making _ him something. Because Gabriel was dead and he and Reaper weren’t  _ anything _ yet-

_ Nothing shows someone you care more than making something specifically for them. _

Jack didn’t know what to do with this, didn’t know how to  _ feel _ about it. For the past year and a half after finding out Gabriel had survived the explosion, hate and anger had filled his heart. Those were easy emotions to deal with, they were still very really emotions there, but now, older memories were rising to the surface, feelings he had thought burned away in the fires of Zurich were coming forth, just as strong, just as confusing as they had been ever since he’d know Gabriel.

_ There is no one I trust more to have my back. _

Something brushed against his knee. Jack pulled the sweater aside to see a card had fallen from the bundle. Jack didn’t pick it up, frozen in place by the simple paper before him.

The gift was already too much for Jack. Interpreting the meaning and feelings behind the item was one thing, but written words were another. They could confirm everything Jack was hesitant to think about, deny it all in the harsh bitter way Gabriel’s truth rang, or it could just leave more questions to add to his list, the answers hidden in smoke. Jack wasn’t sure which one he was more fearful of.

With one hand still clenching the sweater tighter, Jack picked up the card, flipping it open.

He half expected it to be a messily scrawled signature and nothing more. It would have been easier for Jack to classify this whole situation as nothing more than Gabriel just trying to fit in with the new Overwatch. However, rather than any writing at all, there was a single photograph, one he had seen countless times. 

It was of the two of them, both young and soft with significantly less scarring. It was the photo from their trip to the Reyes family home all those years ago, one of the few times they had ever been able to have a moment that didn’t revolve around protecting the world. It was old, had been folded down the middle in a deep crease. Jack could see the worn tape around the edges from stuck from wall to wall. 

How Reaper— _ no,  _ Gabriel—had come to find this after the explosion, Jack couldn’t fathom. He could barely even follow that train of thought when he was too focused on the fact that he had  _ kept it _ after all these years.

Jack wasn’t even thinking as he stood up, sweater and photo in tow, and stormed out of the room. His heart was hammering in his chest, too many emotions, too many thoughts. He thought distance between them would make it easier for Jack to move on and forget. Clearly he was in no position to do either, not when he was still too emotionally tied and invested.

It wasn’t difficult to find Gabriel. If Jack was a little more calm and collected, he’d probably realize Gabriel had been waiting for him, had gone ahead and cleared out the kitchens so they’d have a moment of privacy together. 

He was already seated at the table, alone with two mugs before him. Jack almost wanted to be bitter and angry at Gabriel so expertly knowing him, so ready to anticipate Jack coming here. But that thought wasn’t even on his mind. Not when he was seeing Gabriel for the first time since the explosion.

He had been expecting the stark white barn owl mask to greet him, but rather, Jack was faced with a face concealed under the shadow of a soft cotton black hoodie and a white paper surgical mask covered the bottom of his face. Even with so much covered up, Jack could still see Gabriel’s ashened skin and bright red eyes. 

“Got to admit,” Gabriel spoke, his voice raspier than it had been but still undeniably Gabriel, “I didn’t really think you’d come. Figured you’d burn it or something.”

Jack found himself torn in two: The young man who even to this day was still undeniably in love with the man before him and the old soldier who didn’t feel anything. He found his younger self winning out. 

“Couldn’t even if I wanted to.”

The knitted material felt heavy in his hands, weighed down by too much history, too many memories. 

“I won’t be offended if you don’t wear it,” Gabriel said, deliberate in his imitation of Jack nearly 30 years prior.

It was almost cruel to be replaying these memories like this. Jack wasn’t sure if he hated it: hated Gabriel for mimicking them, hated tainting the memory with how they were now, hated that they couldn’t simply go back to that place, no matter what reconciliation they might manage in the future. 

There was a smaller part of him that cherished it, though. The part of him that was still naive and could see this moment as a hopeful one. One where Gabriel was willing to try and redeem himself, one where this was the beginning of them starting over, where maybe they couldn’t go back to where they were but maybe they could forge something new. 

In a weird, twisted way, Jack reasoned he had put too many years into his relationship, into Gabriel to turn his back on them now. It may never be love again, it may not be that close bond they had, but Jack wasn’t sure if he would regret not trying if he turned his back now.

Jack approached the table, sweater still fisted in his hand as he set the photo down between them.

“It came out great,” Jack murmured, bringing the sweater up to his chest. “Gonna wear this shit all the time.”

He could feel a smile trying to form onto his lips. It had truly been too long since he last smiled.

“Used cornstalks for sizing. Figured it’d be close enough.”

“Asshole.” A lump in his throat made it difficult to laugh. It came out wet and broken. His eyes were stinging and his hands were shaking again. He needed a drink, something to calm his nerves. As always, Gabriel knew him better than anyone.

“It’s more alcohol than eggnog,” he gestured to the mug before Jack. “Brats nearly drank it all but I figured we need the alcohol more than sugar.”

Jack pulled the chair out and sat down, the final barrier between them dissipating. 

“Ang will have both our heads if we drink too much of that sugary shit anyway.”

“Ever the sensible one, Indiana.” 

“Only when compared to you, California.”

They continued the conversation with half reminiscing, half talking about the new agents. They didn’t talk about what had gone wrong, they didn’t talk about betrayal or heartbreak. They didn’t talk about the many elephants in the room. Now wasn’t the time for that. There would be plenty of moments to do that later, but for now, they had this. A conversation in the empty kitchen that’d go on until the wee hours of the night, two mugs of brandy spiked with eggnog and the promise that things would move forward.

And if Jack had put on the sweater half way through the conversation, so be it. If Gabriel insisted walking Jack back to his room afterwards, then fine. If Jack allowed Gabriel a single kiss on the cheek, then it was nobody's business but their own.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading. Let me know what you think! <3


End file.
